Ni’s Chinese Medical Center has been treating people of all ages since 1991, when Bo-Shih Ni, LAc, DOM, founded his first location in Florida after working as an acupuncturist for 10 years in China. Now, with three locations in Florida and additional practitioners working beside him, Dr. Ni is living out his goal to bring the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to the United States.

In January 2016, Yang-Fen (Sophia) Sun, LAc, Dipl.O.M., relocated from Ni’s Orlando center to the Melbourne center, allowing for an increase in treatment hours for Melbourne patients. Dr. Ni is in the office on Tuesdays and Sun is there Monday through Friday.

At Ni’s Chinese Medical Center, the staff and practitioners answer a lot of questions. But that’s a good thing. TCM is not yet fully understood by most people in America. The health philosophy of TCM is certainly not new to the world, but Americans are generally more educated in modern medical practices, or what is referred to as Western medicine, than they are with this medical approach that is thousands of years old.

While most people are familiar with the Western medical approach of identifying a disease and treating the symptoms, TCM takes a totally different view of maintaining or restoring health and wellness. It starts with the belief that the human body is a dynamic system and that the mind, body and spirit are all interconnected. TCM treatment is designed to find balance in the functioning of the mind, body and spirit and the healthy flow of life through the whole person.

People commonly call Ni’s Chinese Medical Center to ask if the center provides treatment for a particular illness. According to Julie Kelbley, Business Manager for the Melbourne center and the two satellite centers in Orlando and The Villages, that is the one question she answers daily. “Do you treat XYZ?”

“We treat everything that goes on with the human body,” Kelbley states. “We don’t treat symptoms, we look for the root cause of those symptoms and treat that. If you say you have pain or internal disease or arthritis, we look for why you have that condition and seek to adjust that imbalance in your system.”

Finding balance in a person’s whole system can involve a variety of methods over several treatments. Acupuncture is one of these, using hair-thin needles to stimulate locations along the 14 major energy channels that run through the human body. By stimulating this energy, called Chi, any blockage or misdirection of energy flow can be corrected. Imbalance in Chi can be the root cause of pain, dysfunction in the body, or poor health. Restoring the balance and flow of Chi allows body systems to work in harmony once again, making it possible for the body to heal–which it is designed to do when all is in balance.

In cases where the body’s energy is deficient, herbal medicines are prescribed to strengthen the energy system or to treat specific issues. Ni’s Chinese Medical Center has a unique raw herbal pharmacy that includes hundreds of herbs. The roots, barks, leaves and other natural plant, animal and mineral source materials are used to formulate prescription herb teas or capsules. Chinese herbology is a science that has been refined over thousands of years and requires a doctor to understand the properties of every single herb and how they work when combined with other herbs. Each patient receives a carefully crafted and unique prescription for their entire health condition. In addition, Dr. Ni’s formulas are inspected and tested by the U.S. FDA in order to ensure safety. (As an added bonus, the herbal pharmacy gives the entire office a pleasing natural green smell, as opposed to that sterile smell found in most medical clinics.)

As part of Dr. Ni’s goal to educate people on TCM, Ni’s in Melbourne offers free monthly health seminars. One Tuesday evening each month, attendees are treated to a seminar on a specific health issue and then offered a question and answer session afterward. The next seminar is May 24 and will focus on chronic fatigue. Other popular topics have included digestive issues, sports injuries, oncology support, arthritis and high blood pressure. Anyone may attend simply by calling the office and making a reservation (seating is limited). The schedule of upcoming topics can also be found by reading the Calendar of Events in Natural Awakenings or by calling the office.By educating the public, Ni’s hopes to help more people find new routes to health and wellbeing through TCM. Ni’s is always accepting new patients, and that is because practitioners there work to find quick results for those who seek treatment.

“Our patients are getting well and going on with their lives,” states Kelbley. “This is why we can accept new patients all the time. We heal the patients we see and then they are out the door.”

Patients of Ni’s Chinese Medical Center are more than happy to expound on the positive outcomes of their treatments. Both the testimonials page [JP1] and the photos and videos page [JP2] of Ni’s website include detailed and enthusiastic testimonials dating back as far as 2008 from patients who had suffered from every issue imaginable, from acid reflux to cancer to migraines to osteoarthosis to unexplained pain.

It’s clear from the testimonials, that Ni’s will be accepting new patients for years to come. By looking at each new patient as a unique body with myriad symptoms and treating the underlying causes of those symptoms, the healing will continue.

Ni’s Chinese Medical Center, 1250 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Ste H, Melbourne. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. DrBoNi.com. 321-757-9731.